A mother-of-one has revealed how she built a single cupcake stall into a nationwide business with a £1million turnover.

Rachael Halstead, 35, was in her mid-20s when she decided to quit her stable job in the City and launch her own baking brand, starting out by flogging her homemade treats at every 'market stall and food event' she could find.

Over the last eight years the entrepreneur, who lives in Worthing, West Sussex, has worked tirelessly to grow Rachael's Kitchen into a company that delivers thousands of made-to-order cupcakes to customers across the UK every day.

Speaking to FEMAIL, Rachael opened up about the struggles she has faced and revealed her top three tips for other entrepreneurs ready to branch out on their own.

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Growing business: Rachael Halstead, 35, was in her mid-20s when she quit her stable finance job to launch her own cupcake company. She started by taking her stall to markets, pictured

Balancing her time: Rachael, pictured, now juggles running Rachael's Cupcakes with raising her two-year-old son, Magnus. She revealed how she starts each day with two hours of admin

Made with love: Rachael started by baking in her kitchen before scaling up the business

Quitting her job

Trained as an accountant, Rachael started her career at a strategy consultancy in London but always knew she wanted to start her own business. It was only when she faced losing her life savings that she decided it was time to make the change.

'I had some savings which I'd invested in Icelandic banks, when they collapsed I felt lucky to get my investment back and a degree of "it's now or never",' Rachael said.

'We were on the edge of recession and I remember thinking if I can weather this storm I might have a business with a bright future.'

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She added: 'I resigned from my job in April 2009 and have never looked back.'

At the time the cupcake trend was just starting to sweep the country and the first ever episode of the Great British Bake Off was still more than a year away.

So it is of little surprise many of her family and friends, while supportive, thought she was 'crazy' to leave a stable job to chase her baking dream.

'It is a big ask of people close to you to believe you will become the largest cupcake delivery company in the UK,' Rachael conceded.

But Rachael said she felt 'intuitively confident' that her idea for a cupcake delivery company could be a success.

Trend-setter: Rachael recognised that cupcakes would soon become a popular treat across the UK. She now runs a company that delivers thousands of cupcakes every day

Starting out

Starting small, Rachael began by baking at home with minimal investment. Her first challenge was to trial and test packaging and courier partners to ensure the cupcakes arrived in one piece. She also turned to outside professionals to help with branding and building a website.

How to start your own business: Rachael's tips

1. Don't hold yourself back: 'I meet lots of people considering starting their own business and often they create hurdles for themselves.

'I believe the top 5 barriers when you start out will not be your top 5 problems a year later.

'It's natural to be cautious but a bit of positivity goes a long way. You don't have to have a polished final offering before you go to market, you can develop and grow as you progress – I believe it makes a better offering in the long run as you have listened to customers along the way.'

2. Punch above your weight: 'In the early years we would quote for jobs which were unprecedented in terms of scale, pushing beyond the boundaries helps you to grow. I would never and have never compromise quality or let a client down, but with careful planning you can achieve something beyond what you imagine.'

3. Test the water: If you are looking to sell a product or service online, use Adwords Keyword Planner tool to find out traffic levels. This seems like basic business plan stuff but it can be overlooked. It’s free and a great way to find out if you have a customer base ready and waiting. There are also lots of great resources and tutorials from Google’s Digital Garage that make launching an online business much more achievable.

The first few months were spent travelling between markets across the UK to hone her craft and some 'much needed cashflow'.

'The process was invaluable and a great way to start any cottage industry,' she said. 'I learned how much hard work was involved... I also learned to pack the bottom of my boots with cardboard in the winter and just how big an effect the weather or the football or proximity to payday would have on trading.'

By September Rachael had moved into her first premises - a small farm on the outskirts of Brighton.

Over recent years Rachael has been among the business owners who have benefited as the nation continues to embrace 'all things baking'.

She said: 'I think we are undergoing a cultural revolution when it comes to making things at home – we enjoy it as a hobby and find first-hand a respect and admiration for the professional.

'I think we are more prepared to pay for quality and our expectations are greater than ever - the Great British Bake Off is a great example of this.'

She also learned more about how to take her brand online withGoogle’s Digital Garage, a free training programme that comprises of digital skills training and personal mentoring sessions.

Rachael's Kitchen opened two stores to help build the brand but eventually closed the shops in early 2016 to focus on the online delivery service.

Rachael said: 'I have a wonderful team around me who are tirelessly dedicated to the business. When I call down to the bakery with a large order, I hear whoops and cheers rather than groans – which is testament to how much they care.'

Setback: Rachael opened two stores but decided to close them and focus the business online

Being a working mother

Like many working mothers, one of the greatest challenges Rachael faces is balancing work with raising her two-year-old son, Magnus.

She said: 'Before I had a child I used to work all hours of the day but something has to give and you have to make things balanced.'

To give herself a head-start she wakes up early and spends two hours responding to emails and planning the day ahead.

As managing director, Rachael spends most of her time working from home in Worthing, West Sussex, leaving her all-female team of seven full-time employees to run the day-to-day operation out of their 3,000sq ft bakery nearby.

Next venture: Rachael has recently launched a brownie brand to cater for 'free from' diets

The next step

Looking to the future, Rachael hopes her latest project, Bears Brownies, will experience the same success as her namesake brand.

Brownies allow Rachael to cater for the ever-growing 'free from' market and specific dietary requirements in a way that cupcakes do not.

'It really difficult to cater to special free-from diets with cupcakes because we don't like to use substitutes,' Rachael said. 'It makes it really difficult to maintain quality.'

She also has visions of seeing Rachel's Kitchen as a concession in retail outlets.